Image by natnaree

Life is not about Resistance,

Life is about Release:

Life is about Releasing the Past

To Embrace the Now.

Life is about Releasing the Lessons

To Embrace the Blessings.

Life is about Releasing the Sadness

To Embrace the Joy.

Life is about Releasing the Hate

To Embrace the Love.

Life is about Releasing the Bitterness

To Embrace the Forgiveness.

Life is about Releasing the Cocoon of Regret

To Embrace the Wings of Hope.

Life is not about Resisting your Heart,

Life is about Freeing your Spirit

To Embrace Life.

© All Rights Reserved Kim Koning.

My Book of Days 2012 on Flickr

My Project 365 Photo 01/01/12

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Photo #1 – JOY (One Word / Shutter Sisters 365)

It is 2012 and the day is 3/4 of a way through already. Yesterday I completed my Book of Days. I was not sure where I was going. I had no plan and the major idea was just to enjoy myself by throwing myself into the creativity. It has been years since I messed around with craft glue, ribbons, beads and just general artiness. The afternoon flew by and I did not even notice time had flown by. I started putting together my physical book of days at lunch time yesterday and completed it by 7pm.

My Completed Book of Days 2012

This is one of the reasons that I signed up to create an art journal. I wanted to get my fingers full of craft glue and stained by crayon, ink and paint. There is a reason why children and dogs are so joyful which brings me to the subject of this post.

My New Year lessons come from Jazz – My Papillon pup. He is 18 months old but still has the boundless energy of a pup so to my mind he is still my pup.

Jazz is one of the happiest creatures I have ever come across. Every day when he bounds up onto my bed first thing in the morning so excited to have me awake and spend another day with him to the times when he impatiently pulls my hand away from the keyboard and reminds me that there is a real world that exists outside of my stories…I am reminded of a very important lesson…

Jazz - Playing tug-a-war with his Christmas reindeer and me

Play is as important as work in a balanced day. Sometimes you just have to get ridiculous and laugh and giggle. Having a blue day? Try stopping and make ridiculous faces, get someone else laughing or make yourself laugh. I learn this lesson every day from my pup Jazz. He makes me come out and play with him. He drags me to his leash to take him for a walk. He brings one of his many toys to me to throw or play tug-a-war with him.

Being creative yesterday by putting together my Book of Days reminded me of the days when I was 7 or 8 and one of my favourite activities was creating something in class. There is something freeing about getting craft glue stuck on your fingers and having your fingers stained by ink/crayon/paint.

Children and dogs have the right idea. Spend time playing. Make an art form out of it. I plan on “playing” a lot more this year. I think adults get so caught up with being respectable, mature and responsible that we also tend to forget that each of us still has a child in our heart that needs to be let out in play. Human beings are by nature playful and active. Don’t get so caught up in life that you lose your joy in simple play and ridiculousness. 

More lessons your dog can teach you...Jazz ticks every one of these

So how are going to play today?

I dare you to play and not smile…Come on…

Prove me and Jazz wrong…What’s the worst that could happen? You could have FUN!

Or Prove me right and have a fantastic New Year’s day!

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^^ This is what I learnt from 2011^^

I took a leap of faith and a step of courage by quitting my day job to pursue my dream of full-time writing.

I made an incredible bevy of writing friends who I feel like I have known for years and I have counted on, leaned on, laughed with, cried with and celebrated the joys of being a full-time writer with in 2011. You each know who you are.

But specific mention must be made to these angels in my writing life: Tee G Ayer, Leigh K Hunt, Melissa Pearl, Patti Larsen, Rachna Chhabria, Drew Cross, Al Boudreau – you 7 people are the stars that lit my dim way this year. Thank you for your support, your friendship, your encouragement and so much more than I could ever express. From my heart to your’s: Thank you for 2011! Looking forward to sharing more laughs with you in 2012…

As much as it is important to fly in success and achievement, it is not possible without a strong and sure foundation of loving hands that catch you when you stumble…and this foundation came from: Dad, Mom, Boy, Clauds, Ally and Vaso – thanks you for being my family of both blood and heart. I thank you for trusting me enough to let me step out and fly Dad and Mom – I always knew you would catch me if I fell. I love you all with every cell and atom in my being. I know that 2012 will be amazing because I have the benefit of having an anchor and foundation in my family and most of all in my Lord.

My plan in September 2010 was to be published by 2012…I achieved this in May2011 by having my first short story and first attempt at YA dystopian be accepted and published in a amazing anthology called Tales for Canterbury…Even more amazing is that one of Neil Gaiman‘s stories was republished in the same anthology. Wow not only published but my story alongside one of Neil Gaiman’s…Incredible…If that were not good enough, 100% of all proceeds was and is still being given to RED CROSS for the CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE APPEAL…a city that is very dear to my heart as it was once home to me and is still home to many dear friends…a city that like Manhattan, New York is a symbol of courage, endurance and compassion. What better way to celebrate your first published story by giving back and by being part of a inspiration of hope for a city of people in need of hope.

Kia Kaha Christchurch – Stand Strong ChristChurch!

Farewell 2011! Thank you for the lessons learned. Thank you for the grey clouds so we could appreciate the rainbows of hope. 

“I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.”~ D. Markova”             ^^ This is what I choose for my 2012 ^^ Have a 2012 rich in the Green Hope that Life is a Blessing and Every single day is a GIFT! “Don’t be afraid to expand yourself, to step out of your comfort zone. That’s where the joy and the adventure lie.” Herbie Hancock              Wishing you each and everyone     a Blessed, Inspirational and JOYFUL 2012!!                                See you all in 2012! Living in New Zealand means we are one of the first to wish in the New Year…What a blessing to see the New Year first! 1 Hour to go..

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Welcome to my New Blog for 2012!

If you came here from one of my other blogs,

you will see that this blog has a very different focus.

My other blogs focus and will continue to focus on my life as a writer. 

Walking towards JOY in 2012...© Kim Koning Photographs

This blog is going to be a more personal journey.

As always creativity is the focus of my life…

It is my fuel and my nourishment both as an individual and as a writer & poet. 

This blog is about a search for more creativity, gratitude, and a focus on living a more inspired life 

as an artist, a writer, a creative individual and a born again Christian.

I will be using both art, crafts and camera and any other creative medium to journal my journey.

Anything shared or journalled in this journey are my own thoughts, my own emotions and my own inspirations. This is a personal blog shared publicly in the tone of inspiration.

For the last 2 years I have searched out a Word of the Year instead of making New Year’s Resolutions. One of my friends recently posted that one should not make Resolutions but Goals. For me the Word of the Year is a Focus for the whole year. It is a word or a set of words that combines both goal, focus, commitment  and promise for the New Year.

I was first inspired to find a Word of Purpose by Elizabeth Gilbert in her bestselling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. I read the book at a time in my life when I was at the lowest level of despair and sadness. The book resonated with me in an instant. I believe that there are certain books that come into your life at just the right moment and for me then it was Eat,Pray,Love.

So this is my third year of finding a Word or Words of the Year.

• In 2010 – My words were: BELIEVE and RENEW
• In 2011 – My words were: POSSIBILITY and SEEK

In 2012 – My words are…

CHOOSE
DANCE
JOY

Or to put in a sentence ~ I CHOOSE to DANCE for JOY in 2012

Another thing I do to start the New Year off is to create a Vision Board. I usually incorporate my Words of the Year into the Vision Board. I do two types of Vision Boards: One a digital version that I use as my Desktop Background on my laptop and the other a physical Vision Board that I hang in my office.

This year though I have also signed up to a project called Book of Days 2012. This is an art journalling project where you don’t just journal thoughts and memories but you use arts and crafts to better journal your year of 365 days. So I have combined my Words of the Year, my Vision Board and my Book of Days into one project that I will be journalling both in this blog and in a physical art journal which I am still creating.

So here is a preview of my Vision Board for this year…which will also be the cover for my Book of Days.

My Words of the Year 2012 ~ I "CHOOSE" to "DANCE" for "JOY"

So what is your plan for 2012? If you can choose a Word of the Year or Words of the Year, what will your Word / Words be? What Project 365 would you like to do? Below are some ideas of what other people in the Blogging world are going to do for 2012. I would love to know what your Word is or what your 2012 Goals or Projects are…

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